Fadgel Hizzy, The

DESCRIPTION: The singer sees young men busy courting: putting hair powder on their hair to court the "fadgel hizzy." Stir her up, keep her busy, hold her gown "for she's a fine fadgel hizzie"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1828 (Lyle-Andrew-CrawfurdsCollectionVolume2)
KEYWORDS: courting
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Bord))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Lyle-Andrew-CrawfurdsCollectionVolume2 151, "The Fadgel Hizzy" (1 fragment)
Roud #15108
NOTES [301 words]: Lyle-Andrew-CrawfurdsCollectionVolume2 glossary translates "fadgel hizzy" as "fat hussy."
This appears to be what's left of a bawdy song. If so, it has been cleaned up once by Ramsay and recast by Burns as "O, Steer Her Up, and Haud Her Gaun." "In Ramsay's Miscellany, 1725, is a garbled and disconnected song of the title, which Herd copied into Scots Songs, 1769, 181. Stenhouse says 'Ramsay very properly suppressed the old song, enough of which is still known' (Illustrations, p. 441)" (source: James C Dick, The Songs of Robert Burns (London, 1903 ("Digitized by Microsoft")), p. 417).
For Ramsay's text you can see any of the following: Allan Ramsay, The Tea-Table Miscellany: or, A Collection of Choice Songs, Scots and English (London, 1833 (ninth edition) ("Digitized by Google")), p. 103, ("O steer her up, and had her gawn") (1 text); David Herd, editor, Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, Heroic Ballads, etc. (facsimile of (Edinburgh,1776) with an "Appendix ... containing the pieces substituted in the 1791 reprint for those omitted of the 1776 edition, &c.") ("Digitized by Google")), Vol II, pp. 97-98, "Steer her up and had her gawin" (1 text); broadside Bodleian, Firth b.25(569/570/571/572) Views 3-4 of 5, "Steer Her Up and Ha'd Her Gaw'n ("O steer her up and ha'd her gaw'n"), W Macnie. (Stirling), 1825.
The idea of this song is "gin she winna tak a man ... Cast thy cares of love away; Let's our sorrows drown in drinking.... Spite of Venus and her mumpers, Drinking better is than love." Burns rewrote Ramsay's song (Scots Musical Museum, 1803, No. 504): "... That gin the lassie winna do't, Ye'll fin' anither will, jo" (source: James C Dick, The Songs of Robert Burns (London, 1903 ("Digitized by Microsoft")), #196 p. 175, "O, Steer Her Up" (1 text, 1 tune)). - BS
Last updated in version 2.6
File: LyCr2151

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